First Baptist Church
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(The First Baptist Church in Dallas) Organized 1868; first building (1871) on this site was one-room frame structure, which members financed by weaving rugs, making hominy, preserves, and cheese to sell at fairs near Dallas, then a frontier town of 2,500. Section of Victorian-style, red brick building was erected 1890; is only downtown Dallas Church still on original site. George W. Truett, noted minister, was pastor here 47 years and was succeeded by W. A. Criswell, 1944. RTHL - 1968
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The First Baptist Church of Dallas organized in 1868, when Dallas was a frontier town of just 2,500 people, and members financed their first one-room frame building by selling handwoven rugs, hominy, preserves, and cheese at area fairs. A Victorian-style red-brick section rose in 1890, and the congregation remains the only downtown Dallas church still standing on its original site. Its pulpit gained national renown under George W. Truett, who preached here for 47 years before W. A. Criswell succeeded him in 1944.
Why it matters
The church charts the growth of Dallas from a small frontier settlement into a major city and became one of the most influential Baptist congregations in America.
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Related people
- · George W. Truett
- · W. A. Criswell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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